MORNING REPORT

VIDEO RENTAL CHARTS : 'Working Girl' No Match for 'Batman'

December 07, 1989| Arts and entertainment reports from The Times, national and international news services and the nation's press

Caped Crusader Clobbers Working Girl. That's a capsule summary of what happened on the Billboard rental chart this week, with "Batman" winging its way to the top of the rental and sales charts in just two weeks, demoting "Working Girl" to fourth. But the supremacy of "Batman" is being seriously challenged by second-ranked "Scrooged," the Bill Murray version of "A Christmas Carol," which could become an even more appealing rental as Christmas gets closer. "K-9," starring Jim Belushi and a German shepherd, sprinted up to No. 8 in just two weeks. Look for it to be in the Top 5 next week. "Three Fugitives," co-starring Nick Nolte, is still doing strong rental business, inching up a notch to No. 6.

* Compared to the 1984 original, which raked in more than $200 million, "Ghostbusters II" was a practically a box-office flop--grossing just $111 million. But the sequel could outdo the original in rentals simply because the home-video market is so much larger today than it was in 1985. "Ghostbusters II" entered the rental chart at No. 10 and could bounce into the Top 5 next week.